The power of pilates

Awareness – an approach to life

Heart

Five tips to help you feel good about your body

In today’s social media obsessed world, it’s often hard to feel OK about our own, imperfect bodies. Fernanda Mathias shares five tips to help you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin

Raise your hand if you’ve felt too fat, too thin, too short, or in need of some more makeup to mimic one of the Kardashians. We’ve all been there, right?

The thing is, we’ve been trapped in this loop for so long that we’ve never had the time to consider it’s not OK. It’s not OK to feel like we don’t fit in. It’s not OK to feel like we need to make big changes to feel good about ourselves. But it’s not that easy, is it?

Well, let’s take a look at 5 steps which can help us to start feeling better about our bodies, and ultimately, our entire selves.

1
– You’re more than appearance

That’s the golden rule. We need to acknowledge that our bodies are just a package. What’s inside and how we feel is much more important than how we look – believe that. It’s an everyday battle but keep going.

2- Detox

Not your body, but your social media. Stay away from images and profiles that are unreal, and make you feel bad about your appearance and body. Everywhere we look on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, we see those “perfect” faces and bodies that are so far from real life. Even the “natural look” is made up.

This Tweet received a lot of backlash, as the two people pictured (both huge social media influencers) boast ‘bare faces’, while clearly wearing makeup and have had cosmetic procedures

We have a lot of trouble appreciating ourselves because we are not exposed to people who look like us on our social media. Take a look at your following list, and unfollow everyone you believe is being toxic for you on social media. Do this every once in a while when you feel overwhelmed.

3
– Make amends

Yeah, it’s time to make amends with your body. Does that mean you’re going to love every single piece of it? Not at all. But it means you’re aware that your body is more than just appearance. It’s a home. It’s a shelter. It carries your soul. Take care of it. Respect it. Treat it well. Acknowledge that you’ve been through a lot together, and you still have a long way with it. Every mark or scar you have tells a story. We all have them, and it’s fine.

4
– Find good references

This is part 2 of the detox. After you cut out of your network all those profiles that make you feel bad about yourself, it’s time to find people that relate to you. New profiles, real people. People that share the same interests and ideas. People who have nice and interesting things to show and talk about that go beyond appearance.

5
– Don’t compare yourself

Ever. You’re a unique person, full of characteristics that make you who you are. That’s it. That other person is different and it’s OK. You don’t have to be or do the same. The world would be a horrible place if we were all like that. Forget the patterns established by various industries. Be yourself. Feel comfortable with who you are. Be happy and above all, accept we are all different.

All these steps seem very simple but they are hard. I know that. But as I said before, it’s an everyday battle. Keep going. Don’t give up. You’re amazing.